Times of Change 4
by calladragon
Summary: Part One of the next Two Shot in that Universe.
1. Chapter 1

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Jane asked as soon as Lisbon opened her door.

While she may have thought their conversation ended at the hospital, she was clearly wrong. Admitting her foolish "bug" trick was a stupid move had gone a long way towards defusing the heat of the moment; but, it didn't wipe the slate clean. Nor did agreeing it had given Red John the means to lure her in like a fish on a line. Exactly as Jane had told her it would. There were still a number of things left to be said. He was having a difficult time restraining himself any longer.

Before, his overwhelming fear and joy at having Lisbon alive halted his tongue. He'd chosen to bask in the moment instead. Besides, while she was lying in a hospital bed in shock wasn't the time or place to let her have it. However, that didn't mean she was walking away from the entire situation without knowing exactly how he felt.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

She'd do the same to him.

"Do _not_ cuss at me, Jane." Lisbon resisted the urge to slam the door in his face. "You don't have that right."

"I beg to differ." Jane said. "I'm your partner. If anyone has the right to protest you unnecessarily putting your life at risk, I'd say that person is me. However, you did more than put your life at risk. You managed to cheat death in spite of your foolish actions…You must know I never expected to get you back…None of us did."

"Don't." Lisbon said as she locked the door. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Too bad." Jane's tone was stubborn. "We're going to whether you want to or not."

Following him into her kitchen, Lisbon decided she much preferred the man by her hospital bed to the one she was dealing with now. The one whose presence instantly calmed her when she'd awakened so violently positive she was bleeding out from Haffner's vicious slash. He'd gently touched her reassuring her everything was fine. Her dream was little more than a vicious nightmare fading into the recesses of her mind. He'd anchored her in the storm gently easing her back into a their altered reality. He'd let her know she was unharmed aside from that nasty Taser burn. Something she'd not been entirely sure of. He'd even brought her home from the hospital and stayed through the night.

Nobody knew that.

Well, not exactly "nobody". She was pretty damned sure Red John did. The bastard knew everything. He probably knew Jane had driven her into work the next day as well. However, she doubted he knew Jane had slept in her bed the night before and held her deep into the darkness. She'd done that a time or two for him in the past when the nightmares became too much. He'd simply returned the favor.

Or that was what she kept telling herself. She wasn't reading anything more into Jane's tenderness.

"Not." Lisbon supplied while she watched Jane make a beeline for a certain cabinet.

Watching him take his cup down, she watched him set it on the counter in the matching saucer before setting the kettle on the burner to heat. If there was one thing Jane was when it came to tea, it was predictable. He was going to make himself a cup from one of the blends she kept on hand just for him. If Lisbon was lucky, he'd make her that perfect cup of coffee.

He was also going to head for the pantry and that expensive bottle of Bourbon he'd stuck in a forgotten corner a couple of years ago. It was still three quarters full as neither of them even qualified as social drinkers. That didn't mean either of them turned down the occasional "Case Closed" libation or that occasional glass of wine. Just that alcohol wasn't the most regular occurrence in either of their lives. If she discounted that annual drunkfest on a certain anniversary which she did.

"Lisbon, you can't keep doing stupid things like going into deserted houses without backup." Jane said offering her the first sip from the liberal glass of Bourbon he'd poured. "The last time you did something like that you ended with a bomb strapped to your chest. Didn't the experience teach you anything?"

"I had a job to do." Lisbon defended herself. "I knew Partridge was in there."

She so didn't like the taste of Bourbon and her nasty face said it.

"And you knew he was a tool at best." Jane reminded her. "There was no reason to risk your life for him."

"Maybe." Lisbon conceded. "Or maybe he was totally innocent…We honestly didn't know."

But, she did now. They all did. That 'Tyger, Tyger.' said it all.

"Either way, he was already a goner." Jane's tone was deadly quiet. "You had to know that, too."

"Maybe." Lisbon repeated refusing to look him in the eyes. "Whether he was or he wasn't, I couldn't stand there doing nothing."

She'd thought about it; but, that really wasn't an option…not for her.

"Yes, you could." Jane corrected her. "You should have stayed outside until backup arrived. Going in was a no-win situation and you know it. All it was going to do was make Bertram ask difficult questions we don't need him asking. Ones like why you'd go in that deserted house since there was no mention of Partridge or Red John on the call you responded to. In case you don't know, that's exactly what he asked me. All I could say was I didn't know. We both know he believed that one."

Fortunately, Bertram had decided that was a fight for another day and let the matter drop. Jane was clearly more concerned with Lisbon and her welfare than he was with placating their "Boss." He'd been willing to simply let things be.

"I made a judgment call." Lisbon defended her actions. "Maybe it wasn't the right one…But, I had to do something."

"No, you didn't." Jane continued. "You didn't have to do a thing."

"Stop it, Jane." Lisbon said wearily. "I know what almost happened. I'm a cop. I can't stand by and do nothing when someone's life's at stake."

Or, more importantly, the answers they so desperately needed.

"Do you?" Jane asked ignoring the majority of her statement including the part she'd left unsaid. "Know what almost happened? I'm not sure you do. Red John didn't have to let you go and, contrary to what I said at the hospital, I don't think he intended to. I also don't think he was feeling playful even if I said otherwise.

I believe I'm more right in thinking he got spooked before he could finish the job. Maybe he heard those sirens in the distance, realized he didn't have time to play his usual twisted games, and cut his losses. Maybe he didn't hear a thing but knew you'd called for backup so they'd probably be showing up at anytime. Either way, the clock was ticking down faster than he'd meant for it to.

I'd say a more likely explanation for your survival is Red John is a true artisan. He wanted you conscious while he tormented you. Seeing and feeling every agonizing thrust and slice of his handiwork.

Since he couldn't have that, you got a rain check instead. Consider that lovely calling card on your face, the one I wiped away before you could see it, his mark of intent. If I were you, I'd cease taking unnecessary chances.

We've always known you had an imaginary target on your back. Now you've had a literal one telling us we're exactly right."

"I said I don't want to discuss it so hush." Lisbon fixed him with a mildly exasperated look conveying the next words out of her mouth were going to be stronger if he didn't. "You're talking too much."

"I'm going to continue talking." Jane said doing just that. "In spite of your stupidity, you were a very lucky woman. You should be lying on a slab in the M.E.'s office not standing here talking to me."

"Or maybe you're totally wrong in what you're thinking. Maybe Red John never meant to do anything more than what he did. Maybe he just wanted to shake us up and send a message." Lisbon reminded him. "Let us know he could get to any of us any time he wanted."

"Maybe." Jane agreed. "I'm not sure of anything except, of everyone I know, he took the one person who means the most to me. I'd say we're busted, Lisbon. Not that it surprises me. He's known there was something between us long before Lorelei."

Looking away, Lisbon refused to give Jane the satisfaction of agreeing with him.

"If I hadn't gone into that house, you'd never have gotten your answer." Lisbon quietly reminded him instead.

Jane gave her look saying that wasn't exactly true.

"I don't care about answers at the moment, Lisbon." Jane informed her knowing, unlike the woman staring at him through wide green eyes, if he hadn't gotten his "answer" the way she mentioned, he'd have eventually gotten it another. While he might be occasionally stumped what his next move should be, he'd never doubted his abilities to figure it out eventually. Now, whether things actually played out precisely the way he'd imagined was an entirely different matter. "I care about you. End of story."

"Yeah, well, while that may be true, we needed that answer." Lisbon reminded him. "Red John isn't psychic is he?"

Lisbon now clearly believed what he'd been saying all along.

"You're finally accepting what I've been telling you all along." Jane smirked slightly at her wide, questioning eyes. "I've told you a million times over the years, there's no such thing as psychics…just very gifted cons."

Lisbon gave him a look saying she still wasn't sure about that. She knew he wasn't either. She'd lived with having his special brand of "something" intimately in her midst for a number of years. While Jane might deny any "psychic" abilities, there were moments that seemed to belie his claims. As it happened, she'd seen too many such "moments" over the years to completely dismiss the thought he might not possess at least some of the abilities he mocked so openly.

"He was using Sophie Miller's notes." Lisbon said.

"Among other things we haven't discovered yet. Something I'd have figured out eventually without you putting yourself at risk." Jane agreed. "He's clearly had insider knowledge we didn't know he was privy to. We've known that all along, we just haven't known what or how. We're beginning to get a handle on that. Red John is crafty, Lisbon, but he isn't psychic. The unfortunate truth is we're going to have to be craftier if we want to beat him. Keep our _inside_ knowledge inside."

"How do we do that?" Lisbon asked. "We've never been able to keep our secrets even when we thought we were."

"That's because we never knew the extent of his reach before now." Jane stated quietly. "Now that we're starting to, that's a game changer. I'm not sure how we're going to do what needs to be done; but, for the first time in a while I believe we'll figure it out." Jane said. "We don't have a choice if we hope to stop him."

"We're going to stop him." Lisbon stated firmly with renewed determination even if she didn't have a clue where to start and felt like crap at the moment. "He's just going to keep on killing if we don't."

And he was going to keep them apart if they let him. Looking at Lisbon, Jane decided now was as good a time as any to press his suit. They had nothing to hide. Red John clearly knew they meant more to each other than met the eye. If either of them believed differently, he'd recently proven them wrong. He wouldn't have honed in on Lisbon if he hadn't.

"Let's go for it." Jane dropped his bomb out of the blue.

"Go for what?" Lisbon said automatically although she knew better.

"Do I have to spell it out?" Jane asked.

"I think you do." Lisbon countered.

"Fine." Jane agreed. "You and me, let's go for it. It's not like we have anything left to hide."

"_Harry's_ at 6:30 on Thursday night." Lisbon said quietly not missing a beat. She really didn't have any reason to hem and haw or think about it. The CBI had relaxed their dating regulations recently so hanging out with Jane on a more personal level wasn't nearly as unprofessional as it used to be. Besides, she was fast approaching Rigsby and Van Pelt's whole "screw the CBI attitude" anyway. As for Red John, he'd changed the rules of the game. She might as well give him a reason to come after her if he was doing it anyway. "Meet me at my office and we'll go from there. I should be through with my meeting with Bertram and most of my paperwork by then. We can hit the bookstore for coffee and tea afterwards."

She needed to find something for Cho's birthday and Jane's input would be welcome.

"_Harry's_ it is." Jane agreed.

While it wasn't the fine restaurant he'd hoped for their first _official_ date, it was a nice casual place within walking distance of the CBI. If that wasn't enough, other boutique shops were still open besides the bookstore. They could drag out the evening checking them out. If he was lucky, Lisbon would let him buy more than just her dinner. She'd find something nice in one of those shops. Even if she didn't, if _Harry's_ was what Lisbon wanted, that was what she'd get.

He could take her to a swankier place on Friday.


	2. Chapter 2

"You're early." Lisbon glanced up as Jane silently slipped through her unlocked door before dropping her eyes back to her computer screen. "Have a seat. I'm almost done."

"How did your meeting go?" Jane asked as he sprawled lazily on her couch. "You were gone a long time."

"How do you think?" Lisbon asked as she continued to type. "Bertram asked a lot of invasive questions concerning why I would go into an abandoned building without backup. While not unheard of under special circumstances, I didn't have any in this instance. Since I couldn't tell him that I knew Brett was there without admitting to the rest of it, I had to make up some cockamamie yarn about hearing noises coming from inside. Bertram believed that one about as much as I did.

The hell of it all is I'm not sure I didn't hear a cry." The look on Lisbon's face was painful to see.

"Don't go there." Jane said quietly. "It'll drive you mad."

"I can't help it." Lisbon said. "I know what I heard."

"Lisbon, you know what you _think_ you heard in hindsight. The mind plays tricks in traumatic situations. It doesn't matter either way. Once Patridge's throat was slashed, he was beyond any help we could give him." Jane said. "Even if you hadn't gotten tazed, he would have bled out before the medics arrived. Trust me; I looked at the forensics report. While his vocal cords weren't completely severed, his jugular was. He only had a handful of minutes at best to live, probably less, so it doesn't matter what you heard or didn't hear. He'd become expendable and his time was up."

"How can you be so callous in the face of a Red John kill?" Lisbon searched Jane's face for any flicker of emotion and found none. "I know Partridge wasn't your favorite person; but, I didn't think you disliked him that much."

"Callous isn't the word I'd use and I didn't dislike him at all." Jane calmly corrected her. "I found him a distasteful Forensics' Ghoul precisely as I said. Clearly with just cause given he was a Red John tool. The man took entirely too much pleasure in his job to be normal.

As for my casual acceptance of recent events, I've learned to live with Red John's antics because I don't have another choice. I've experienced the alternative in case you've forgotten. A padded room isn't all it's cracked up to be. It isn't every day you find a Sophie Miller to help you out of it."

Looking at Jane's face, Lisbon was sorry she'd opened her mouth. She needed to apologize before she did any more damage. He hadn't had such an easy time of it the last few days himself. If anything, he'd had a worst time than she had and that was saying a lot.

If arriving at that house to find her unconscious with Red John's mark smeared across her countenance wasn't enough, Jane had found Sophie's severed head in her oven. That had shaken him more than he'd let on. She'd seen that truth in his eyes. While he hadn't seen his old Psychologist in five years, he'd liked and respected the woman for what she'd done for him. He'd never expected her life to end so tragically. Certainly not because she'd come to his aid so long ago.

Then again, he hadn't been all that surprised by her execution either. Anyone crossing his path in a significant way was liable to suddenly find an imaginary smiley face drawn on their chest. There was nothing Jane could do about it. He couldn't stop people from entering and exiting his life. He didn't have those kinds of super powers.

No one did.

"I'm sorry, Jane." Lisbon said as she closed the file on the screen. "I shouldn't have said any of that."

"No, you shouldn't have; but, I'm not holding it against you." He gave her a tolerant look. "It would make for a rather uncomfortable first date don't you think?"

"On that note, I'll be back in a few." Lisbon grabbed her purse from her desk drawer before rising to her feet and heading for the Ladies Room. "Before you try to follow me, I don't need an escort. Got it? Do _not _stick your head in the restroom or the date is off. We can continue our talk out here."

"Got it." Jane said as he sat back down. "If you're not back in ten minutes, I'm coming after you. It shouldn't take that long since you're perfect the way you are."

"Can it, Jane." Lisbon rolled her eyes at him. "Flattery isn't getting you anywhere. I know how your mind works and I'm familiar with your Mentalist games. So, I'm warning you not to follow me."

Watching her walk out the door, Jane couldn't help smirking around the words, "It was worth a try."

#

Opening his eyes upon hearing Lisbon enter her office with a snort, Jane rolled easily to his feet before glancing at his watch.

"You were gone twenty minutes." He said as they exited her office. "Need a few extra minutes to talk yourself into going?"

"Maybe." Lisbon admitted punching the elevator button. "I'm still debating the wisdom of hanging out with you like this."

"Well, you can't use that old argument about us being against rules and regulations anymore." Jane reminded her. "And you can't say you don't want to go when we both know you do. So, I'd say you're just being stubborn."

Jane resisted the compelling urge to reach out and do something stupid like muss her hair in frustration. The woman was being a brat. She deserved nothing better and _he_ didn't deserve her reaction to such a gesture. She'd smack him down and refuse to go out with him.

"Maybe I am." Lisbon agreed. "But, whether it's still against rules or regs or not, our being in a relationship is still unprofessional."

"Only if you make it so." Jane said following her down the deserted hall towards the elevator. "Otherwise, it's just a date."

"I guess it is." Lisbon agreed. "And we're both so good at those. We won't mention my last date or yours."

"She was hardly a date, My Dear." Jane said quietly surprised Lisbon could so casually mention a topic that had been a sore point between them for much too long. "Lorelei was strictly business."

"If you say so." Lisbon quirked an eyebrow. "I've never totally bought that argument."

"Let me rephrase it then." Jane said quietly. "It was as close to business as such a moment can be."

"I'll accept that." Lisbon agreed. "It makes more sense."

"Good, now can we change the subject?" Jane asked. "We're on a date, not discussing cases. In fact, I propose we agree work is off limits for the rest of the night. Especially anything connected to Red John."

Holding the door open, Jane watched Lisbon walk outside before falling in step beside her. Waving to the Security Guards they continued across the parking lot towards the sidewalk. _Harry's_ was a good three blocks down on the opposite side of the street. While not the kind of place he'd have selected for a first date, the restaurant was cozy and the home cooking was good. It they were lucky, they'd get one of the quieter tables in the back away from the bustling booths up front.

"What are we going to talk about if we do?" Lisbon asked knowing they usually ended up discussing cases even when they said they wouldn't. Both current and long solved cases from the past. Their work was the one thing binding their universes together like nothing else. "You going to tell me about some more of those cons that should have landed you in a cell a long time ago?"

Lisbon continued talking as she pressed her face against a shop window. She might come back for that large framed print hanging on the far wall. She needed to get a closer look at it. But, from what she could see, it looked like it would match her new comforter set beautifully. If the shop closed before they were on their way back, she'd check it out tomorrow on her lunch break.

"Let's go in and take a look." Jane said quietly from over her shoulder. "Otherwise, you're going to be thinking about that picture all night."

"I can look at it another day." Lisbon said. "We're on our way to dinner."

"Yes, we are, but _Harry's_ can wait." Jane continued. "We don't have a reservation and the restaurant is open late so there's no reason to hurry unless you're hungry. We're still close enough to the CBI to walk across the street and put any purchases in your car. I don't see any reason to wait."

"Since you're okay with the delay neither do I." Lisbon said as she opened the door and stepped inside.

Walking to the back wall, she surveyed the two large hand painted canvases catching her interest. Both were fairly expensive modern interpretations of a famous Post-Impressionist painter's work. Both were stylized Almond Tree branches in full bloom. One had a crimson background in a dark stained wood and gold frame that would blend well with her new bedroom set. The other had an opulent teal background in an elegant wood frame with a champagne finish that would blend equally well with the same set. They were both ridiculously expensive in her opinion; but, she thought she'd live a little dangerously for a change. She hadn't spent as much as she'd budgeted to redo her bedroom so she had some cash left over to play with. So, what it really came down to was which background color suited her best. Deciding she liked the teal, Lisbon prepared to motion the hovering sales associate over only to find Jane had beat her to the punch.

"We'll take both of those." Jane motioned to the two paintings.

"Jane, I only want the teal painting." Lisbon said softly as she reached in her purse for her credit card.

"I want the red one." Jane said as he handed his credit card to the waiting woman. "Before you waste your breath protesting, consider the painting an early birthday present." He nodded in the direction of the painting already being carefully wrapped in a thick layer of protective brown paper wrap.

"You shouldn't have done that." Lisbon said softly.

"I want to." Jane said as he slipped his credit card back in his wallet. "Besides, you just spent a ton of money redoing your bedroom. You don't need to spend anything more."

Taking the wrapped painting, Jane handed it to Lisbon confident she could carry it across the street even if it was rather heavy. Taking the other painting he said their good-byes and followed her out the door. Striding across the street, he leaned his painting against the pavement as he opened the back hatch on Lisbon's SUV. Placing both paintings on the seat, he waited for the protest he knew was coming.

"I thought you said you wanted that painting?" Lisbon stood with her hands on her hips. "If that's true, there's no reason you should be putting both of them in my car."

"Honestly, Lisbon, where would I put it?" Jane asked reasonably. "Put the red one in your bedroom and the teal one downstairs in your living room. You know you wanted both of them."

"Wanting something and getting it are two different things." Lisbon said. "Those paintings weren't cheap."

"No, they weren't; but, you're worth it. In case you don't know, Segram is a rising new star in the art world." Jane said quietly as he closed the back hatch of the SUV. "Those two paintings are going to appreciate so don't let anything happen to them."

"How do you know that?" Lisbon asked as they walked across the street yet again in the direction of the restaurant.

"Angela was interested in art." Jane said conversationally. "I still follow the rising local artists when I get a chance. Jenny Segram's work started appearing in local galleries a couple of years ago. She's developed quite a following since then. Those two paintings we just bought were actually undervalued for their size so we did well in buying them now."

"I'll take your word for it." Lisbon said. "I'll also believe that's why you were willing to drop almost a grand for two paintings."

It was well over a grand; but, he wasn't correcting her math.

"They would have cost twice as much in that gallery across town." Jane commented. "I know because I priced both of them there. I was thinking about getting them for you as a redecorating present. I wasn't sure you'd like them."

"What the hell is a "redecorating present," Jane?" Lisbon asked as the hostess showed them to their table.

"An excuse to give you a gift you can't return." Jane answered honestly. "You have a habit of returning my more expensive tokens of affection."

"Yeah, because you usually buy them with ill gotten gains." Lisbon opened the menu.

Unable to dispute the validity of her claim, Jane opened his menu as well.

"So, has Geoffrey called you recently?" Jane asked as he gazed over the offerings knowing Lisbon was going for those ridiculous "Chicken Fingers" or a specialty burger with hand cut fries. He was leaning more in the direction of the Chicken Fried Steak complete with mashed potatoes and gravy. If he was going to clog his arteries, he might as well have fun doing it. "I know he's heard about what happened."

He knew because he'd called him before his old friend had a chance to see it on the News. While not really any of Geoffrey's business in his opinion, Jane knew the other man would feel differently. Since he'd not wanted to find himself blacklisted from his favorite hangout, he'd made that aggravating call instead.

"He called me before I ever left the hospital." Lisbon admitted. "He's called a couple of times since to make sure I'm doing okay."

"He's a good man." Jane closed the menu. "Even if he is still trying to steal my girl."

"He's not trying anything." Lisbon corrected him. "And I'm not your girl."

"Tonight says otherwise." Jane reminded her. "Surely you don't think this is a onetime thing?"

Even Teresa Lisbon couldn't live in that much denial.

"I honestly haven't given it much thought one way or another." Lisbon told him. "So, I don't know what I think."

Jane's quirked brow silently reminded her how lousy a liar she really was.

"Fine. I've thought about it." Lisbon rolled her eyes as their server dropped a burger bigger than she was in front of her. "I suppose you already have a reservation somewhere less casual for tomorrow night?"

"That new place you mentioned a couple of weeks ago." Jane confirmed as he stared at his burger wondering why he'd decided against the chicken fried steak. "The renovated saw mill on the other side of town. It's a step or two up from this place yet not as fancy as somewhere like Geoffrey's. I thought it would make a nice change."

"Seven thirty?" Lisbon asked as she lifted her burger to her lips. "This looks really good."

"Eight thirty." Jane clarified. "It'll give you a little longer to get ready before I swing by your place."

"You better hope we don't get a new case." Lisbon watched Jane nibble a fry. "That restaurant is forty-five minutes away."

"We'll play it by ear." Jane's tone wasn't all that concerned. "If we miss our reservation, we'll go somewhere else."

"Or we can do take out." Lisbon agreed. "This burger is really good. You should try it instead of hoping it'll turn into whatever you've decided you'd have rather had."

"Chicken fried steak." Jane said.

"What?" Lisbon was clearly more interested in eating than tracking their conversation.

"I'd have rather had chicken fried stead." Jane clarified.

"Oh." Lisbon took another bite of her burger. "Then order it. You can take that home with you or leave it at the CBI for lunch tomorrow."

"It won't be as good." Jane finally gave in and took a bite of his burger ultimately decided it _wasn't _bad even if it wasn't chicken fried steak. "This is pretty good."

"I told you so." Lisbon smirked knowingly as she watched Jane take another bite of his burger. "So, I can expect you to show up about seven?"

"Probably." Jane agreed. "I'll let myself in with my emergency key. As long as we hit the road by seven-forty, we should be all right."

"I'll be ready by then." Lisbon took a sip of her soda already deciding what she was going to wear. "That's assuming we even get to go. I'm not holding my breath the way things are going. We're liable to get that new case we never saw coming."

They were getting more curve balls than they'd anticipated lately. Red John had lobbied quite a few of those in their direction recently in addition to the other kooks. They fully expected him to keep them coming. Tomorrow would be a perfect opportunity for such a surprise.

"If we do, it's no big deal." Jane lifted his cup to his lips. "All that really matters in the end, is we're together."

"I guess it is." Lisbon shifted uncomfortably in her seat knowing darned well Jane was talking about more than just tomorrow night and she wasn't quite sure how she felt about that.

"You know it is." Jane ignored her restless shifting as she lost herself in thought. "If you felt differently, you wouldn't be sitting here tonight."

"I guess I wouldn't." Lisbon decided she'd give him that much.

"You know you wouldn't." Jane said casually before giving Lisbon the out she so desperately needed. "What do you want for dessert?"

"Hot fudge cake with two scoops of ice cream." Lisbon's eyes lit at the thought of the plate of gooey sinfulness.

"You're so predictable." Jane shook his head. "If there's chocolate anywhere in sight, you're going for it."

"Yeah, what's so bad about that?" Lisbon asked. "Besides, you're ordering apple pie with vanilla bean ice cream. Talk about predictable."

"Actually, tonight I think I'm going for one of those sundaes." Jane corrected her.

"Right. The one with the spiced apple topping instead of hot fudge or caramel sauce." Lisbon laughed at the acquiescence in his eyes. "Talk about predictable. If it has apples in it, you're going for it." She mocked him gently.

"You may be right." Jane closed the dessert menu.

"You know I am." Lisbon agreed. "You know something else?"

"Maybe." Jane said.

"Maybe?" Lisbon quirked a brow at him. "Fine, since you know so much, tell me what I'm thinking."

"You've had a nice time tonight and we should keep on doing this." Jane said quietly. "You've finally decided, "What the hell?". You've given the CBI and Red John long enough. Maybe I'm right in thinking we should just go for it."

"Something like that." Lisbon agreed not all that surprised he'd read her mind so thoroughly.

Things might be different if they didn't know each other so well; but, they did.


End file.
